Conventional concrete walls may be created by pouring concrete into a suitable concrete form. As is known in the art, concrete foundation walls are generally poured between two sets of concrete forms disposed in essentially parallel relationship and defining therebetween a channel having a dimension for the desired thickness of the concrete wall. Such opposed, spaced apart walls are generally held in a fixed relationship relative to each other against the immense weight of any poured concrete by tie-wires and turnbuckle assemblies having abutment surfaces against which a locking or latching arm on adjacent form sections abut. Once assembled into the shape of the wall, wet concrete is poured into the channel formed between the concrete forms and allowed to cure. The concrete forms typically comprise multiple form panels, which may for example be formed of wood or any other suitable well known material. The height of the form panel may vary by application.
Multiple form panels may be placed side-by-side in order to construct a wall of a desired length. Because the wet poured concrete takes the shape of the forms in which it is placed, the finished concrete wall corresponds in configuration to the assembled form. Therefore, it is important to align precisely the panels composing the concrete form in order to ensure that the finished wall has the desired appearance and strength.
Another problem that can occur when employing concrete forms involves straightening the panels so that they do not lean inwards or outwards. For this purpose, and for securing the panels together, some panels include one or more panel bars that extend horizontally across the panel. The panel bars may be, for example, metal bars about two inches wide that are affixed to the form panel. If multiple panel bars are provided on a single panel, they may be spaced at predetermined locations along the height of the form panel. The panel bar may include a latch or lever that allows the panels to be clipped together side-by-side, as well as a plurality of shoulder bolts. The shoulder bolts are sized to interface and cooperate with the latch of the latch assembly thus securing together adjacent panels.
The concrete forms are generally formed in selected or standard heights and widths and are arranged in series as an assembly to form the outline of the foundation wall. Thus, if a section of the concrete form assembly requires a form of a non-standard size (e.g., not the width of the standard forms), then the contractor typically modifies an existing concrete form, such as by cutting, to match the needed size and shape. This unfortunately sacrifices a reusable concrete form for a one-time use.